List of natural disasters in the United States


This list of lists is a list of notable lists which occurred in the United lists from 1816 to 2017. In May 2018, an exhaustive overview of recurrent lists in the United States since 1900, based largely on government data, including data from NASA, FEMA and others, was reported in The New York Times.
Due to inflation, the monetary damage estimates are not comparable. Unless otherwise noted, the year given is the year in which the currency's valuation was calculated.
YearDisasterDeath tollDamage costMain articleLocationNotes
2018Wildfire88$16,500,000,000Camp FireCaliforniaThe Camp Fire ravaged North California, destroying more than 18,000 structures. The Camp Fire was the worst fire in California to this date, and was fueled by large national forests. The campfire was started by electrical transmission lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electricity.
2017Hurricane5,740$91,610,000,000Hurricane MariaFlorida and Puerto RicoAfter strengthening at a near record pace and affecting multiple islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, Maria struck Puerto Rico as a high-end Category 4 hurricane, causing catastrophic damage to the US island due to extremely powerful winds and devastating floods. The hurricane also knocked out the entire power grid, triggering a near total island blackout. The lack of aid after the disaster caused a humanitarian crisis, the worst in the US since Hurricane Katrina, which lasted several months and had a dramatic effect on Puerto Rico's population. Maria is the third costliest hurricane in history, behind only Katrina and Harvey.
2017Hurricane134$64,760,000,000Hurricane IrmaFlorida, South Carolina, Georgia, Puerto RicoHurricane Irma ravaged the northern Leeward Islands as an extremely powerful Category 5 hurricane before making landfall in the Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane, and in the mainland as a Category 3 hurricane. Irma caused widespread damage in Florida due to high winds and destructive floods. The Florida Keys were hit the hardest, with the vast majority of infrastructure there receiving some degree of damage, and at least 25% receiving major damage. Hurricane Irma also knocked out power to 73.33% of the state, or 7.7 million homes and businesses. Irma is the fifth costliest hurricane of all time.
2017Hurricane107$125,000,000,000Hurricane HarveyTexas, Louisiana, AlabamaHurricane Harvey began as a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea before degenerating into a tropical wave, only to regenerate in the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall in Southwestern Texas as a Category 4 hurricane. Most of the damage from Harvey occurred after it had weakened, due to extreme prolonged rains dropping several feet of water that triggered unprecedented floods in a large swath of Southeastern Texas, with the worst of the flooding occurring in Houston. Hurricane Harvey is widely considered to be the worst flooding disaster in the United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which it tied with as the costliest hurricane in history.
2016Wildfire14$990,000,0002016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfiresTennesseeDestroyed nearly 2,000 structures; burned nearly 18,000 acres.
2016Hurricane49$15,090,000,000Hurricane MatthewFlorida, Georgia, The Carolinas
2016Flood132016 Louisiana floodsLouisiana
2016Flood232016 West Virginia floodWest Virginia
2016Blizzard55$500,000,000January 2016 United States blizzardSoutheast through Mid Atlantic to NortheastSnowfall totals in excess of two feet
2015Flood25October 2015 North American storm complexCarolinas
2015Flood202015 Utah floodsUtah
2015Wildfire3$8,000,000,000Okanogan Complex fireOkanogan County, WashingtonDamage figure includes costs involved in the fighting of the fire.
2015Flood462015 Texas–Oklahoma floodsTexas, Kansas, Oklahoma
2014Snow storm24November 2014 North American winter stormBuffalo, New York, Great Lakes region
2014Tornado35$1,000,000,000April 2014 tornado outbreakNebraska, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina
2014Mudflow432014 Oso mudslideOso, Washington
2013–2014Cold wave21Early 2014 North American cold waveEastern US
2013Wildfire19Yarnell Hill FireYarnell, Arizona
2013Flood8$1,900,000,0002013 Colorado floodsColorado
2013Tornado24$2,000,000,0002013 Moore tornadoMoore, Oklahoma
2013Blizzard18February 2013 nor'easterEastern US
2012Wildfire62012 Colorado wildfiresColorado
2012Hurricane147$75,000,000,000Hurricane SandyEastern US
2011Tornado160$69,000
– $3,000,000,000
2011 Joplin tornadoJoplin, Missouripart of the tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011
2011Tornado346$11,000,000,000
2011 Super OutbreakAlabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas and Virginia336 tornadoes
2011Flood20$2,000,000,000 – 4,000,000,0002011 Mississippi River floodsMississippi River Valley
2010Flood20June 2010 Arkansas floodsAlbert Pike Recreational Area
2009Tsunami312009 Samoa earthquake and tsunamiAmerican Samoa and nearby islands189 total deaths, with 31 in American Samoa.
2008Tornado59$1,200,000,0002008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreakTennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, and Illinois
2007Wildfire14California wildfires of October 2007CaliforniaLarge fires burned out of control across southern California, fueled by unusually strong Santa Ana winds; worst around San Diego; caused evacuation of over one million people. Most fires accidental; some suspected arson.
2006Snow storm19$530,000,000
Lake Storm "Aphid"Buffalo, New York
2005Hurricane1,836$125,000,000,000Hurricane KatrinaFlorida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama
2005Hurricane120$10,000,000,000
Hurricane RitaLouisiana, Texas
2005Tornado25$92,000,000Evansville Tornado of November 2005Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio7 tornadoes
2004Hurricane124$19,000,000,000
Hurricane IvanTexas, Florida, East Coast
2004Hurricane49$9,000,000,000Hurricane FrancesFlorida
2004Hurricane10$15,000,000,000Hurricane CharleyFlorida
2002Hurricane41$5,500,000,000Tropical Storm AllisonTexas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania
1999Heat wave271Midwest and Northeast
1999Tornado48$1,500,000,000
1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreakOklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Tennessee74 tornadoes
1998–1999Landslide0$70,000,000Aldercrest-Banyon landslideKelso, Washington
1998Blizzard30$5,000,000North American ice storm of 1998Canada and Northeast
1997Flood0$2,000,000,0001997 Red River floodNorth Dakota, Minnesota, Southern Manitoba
1996Flood8$500,000,000Willamette Valley flood of 1996Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California
1995Heat wave739Chicago heat wave of 1995Chicago, Illinois
1995Flood6$1,360,000,000May 8, 1995 Louisiana floodNew Orleans, Louisiana, area
1994Earthquake57$23,000,000,000Northridge earthquakeGreater Los Angeles area
1993Blizzard79–300$6,600,000,00Storm of the CenturyEast Coast of North and Central America
1993Flood50$15,000,000,000Great Flood of 1993Midwest
1992Hurricane26$25,000,000,000Hurricane AndrewFlorida and Louisiana
1991Wildfire25$1,500,000,000Oakland Hills fireSan Francisco Bay Area, California
1990Tornado29$160,000,0001990 Plainfield tornadoPlainfield, Illinois Crest Hill, Illinois
1989Earthquake69$6,000,000,000
Loma Prieta earthquakeSan Francisco Bay Area, California
1989Hurricane49$7,000,000,000
Hurricane HugoCaribbean and Eastern North America.Damage figure for U.S. only. At least 111 total deaths, with 37 in the continental U.S. and 12 in the U.S. possession of Puerto Rico.
1988Heat wave/drought5,000–10,000$120,000,000,000
1988-89 North American droughtWidespread; 45% of the nation affectedCostliest natural disaster in the United States prior to Hurricane Katrina.
1988Wildfire2$240,000,000Yellowstone fires of 1988Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming793,880 acres was burned in the fires started by lightning.
1980Heat wave1,700$20,000,000,0001980 United States heat waveCentral and southern statesOfficial death toll, may have been higher; damage figure not adjusted for inflation.
1980Volcano57$1,100,000,0001980 eruption of Mount St. HelensWashington stateDamage figure not adjusted for inflation; figure in 2015 dollars is $2,890,000,000.
1977Blizzard23$56,250,000
Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977New York and Ontario
1976Flood145Colorado
1974Tornado3151974 Super OutbreakOntario, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and New York148 tornadoes
1972Flood238$160,000,000

$664,000,000
Rapid City, South DakotaAverage rainfall over area of 60 mi² measured at 10-, over 6 hours in middle of night June 9–10, 1972.
1971Earthquake65$500,000,000Sylmar earthquakeGreater Los Angeles area
1970Tornado26$1,411,900,000
Lubbock TornadoLubbock, TexasF5 tornado killed 26 and wounded approximately 500
1969Hurricane256Hurricane CamilleMississippi, Alabama and Virginia
1965Tornado271Palm Sunday Tornado OutbreakIowa, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana78 tornadoes
1964Tsunami and Earthquake115$1,800,000,000
Good Friday earthquakeAlaska, Hawaii, Oregon, California, British Columbia
1960Tsunami61$500,000
Great Chilean earthquakeHawaii, Alaska2,290 to 6,600 killed and $3,500,000,000 in damage worldwide. 61 killed in Hilo, Hawaii. $500,000 in U.S. property damage
1957Tornado10$25,883,0001957 Fargo tornadoFargo, ND
1953Tornado114Waco, TX
1951Flood28$7,000,000,000
Great Flood of 1951Kansas and Missouri
1950Blizzard353$66,700,000
Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950Eastern US States
1946Tsunami and Earthquake165Aleutian Island earthquakeAlaska and Hawaii
1940Blizzard154$2,200,000Armistice Day BlizzardNorth and Central MidwestDamage total not adjusted for inflation.
1938Hurricane600Great New England Hurricane
1938Flood115Los Angeles Flood of 1938Los Angeles
1937Flood385$5,000,000,000Ohio River flood of 1937Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois
1936Flood69$3,000,000,000
Pittsburgh Flood 1936Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area
1935Hurricane423Labor Day Hurricane of 1935Florida
1931–1939DroughtUnknown$1,000,403,000,000 Dust BowlGreat PlainsCompounded by unsustainable agricultural techniques
1928Hurricane3,000$800,000,000
1928 Okeechobee HurricaneLeeward Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Florida4,078+ believed dead total. About 2,500 died in Florida and 500 in the U.S. possession of Puerto Rico.
1927Flood246$400,000,000Great Mississippi Flood of 1927Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee
1926Tornado16La Plata Tornado of 1926La Plata, Maryland13 killed in La Plata Elementary School
1925Tornado695–727$1,650,000,000
Tri-State TornadoMissouri, Illinois and Indiana Lower number for single 3-state tornado; higher for 5-state outbreak
1919Hurricane6001919 Florida Keys HurricaneFlorida, Texas
1918Wildfire453$73,000,000 1918 Cloquet fireMinnesotaLargest disaster in Minnesota history
1913Flood428Southwest, Central, and Eastern Ohio
1913Flood361Great Dayton FloodDayton, OhioFlood was created by a series of three winter storms that hit the region in March, 1913
1913Blizzard250Great Lakes Storm of 1913Fatalities estimated
1913Storm250$5,000,000
Great Lakes Storm of 1913Great Lakes areaFinancial impact for lost vessels and cargo only
1910Avalanche96Wellington avalancheWellington, Washington
1906Earthquake and fire 3,000–6,0001906 San Francisco earthquakeCaliforniaConflagration followed quake; fatalities estimated
1900Hurricane6,000–12,000Galveston Hurricane of 1900TexasFatalities estimated – remains deadliest natural disaster in North American history.
1896Tornado255–400$2,900,000,000
St. Louis-East St. Louis tornadoMissouri
1894Wildfire418$73,000,000Great Hinckley FireMinnesotaActual death toll likely higher than official death toll of 418.
1893Hurricane2,0001893 Cheniere Caminada HurricaneLouisianaFatalities estimated
1893Hurricane1,000–2,0001893 Sea Islands HurricaneGeorgia, South CarolinaFatalities estimated
1889Flood2,209$17,000,000 Johnstown FloodJohnstown, PennsylvaniaA dam failure caused 20 million tons of water to be unleashed, devastating Johnstown, PA and the surrounding area.
1888Blizzard400Great Blizzard of 1888NortheastFatalities estimated
1888Cold waveUnknown1888 Northwest Cold WaveNorthwest
1871Wildfire1,500–2,500Peshtigo fireWisconsinDeadliest firestorm in United States history
1862FloodGreat Flood of 1862California, Oregon, Utah, and the territories that now make up Arizona and NevadaAn atmospheric river led to 43 days of rain starting at the end of 1861. When it was over, much of California's Central Valley was covered with inland seas that remained for months; the state's government had to move to San Francisco as Sacramento was under 10 feet of water. California nearly went bankrupt due to the costs of the damages and the loss of tax revenues from so many farms and mines; it is considered to be the worst disaster in the state's history.
1816Famine UnknownYear Without a SummerVolcanic dust from a massive eruption by Mount Tambora in the Dutch East Indies in 1815 led to an abnormally cold summer in 1816 in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Cold weather inhibited crops, and frosts and snowstorms killed what did grow, leading to a localized famine.